政府有補助請看護嗎？2026 長照補助完整指南，能拿多少、怎麼申請、哪些不給付 Does Taiwan Subsidize Hiring a Caregiver? The 2026 Long-Term Care Subsidy, Explained Plainly

If you live in Hong Kong, Singapore, or the US and your parent in Taiwan suddenly needs care, here is something most overseas families do not know, Taiwan's government runs a substantial long-term care program, and your parent is probably eligible. Here is the honest version of what it pays for, and what it does not, written by a nurse who answers this question weekly.

What the Long-Term Care program is

Taiwan's Long-Term Care 2.0 program (長照 2.0, upgrading to 3.0 through 2026) subsidizes in-home care visits, day care, transport, equipment, and respite care for people assessed as disabled or living with dementia. It is funded by the government and managed by city care-management centers. It is a monthly budget of subsidized service hours, not health insurance and not a cash payout.

Who qualifies, and the one thing overseas families must know

Eligibility covers people 65 and over with functional decline, people with dementia (the age floor is removed from 2026), indigenous people 55 and over, and holders of a disability certificate. The key step is an in-person assessment, a government care manager visits your parent at home (or in hospital) and assigns a disability level from 1 to 8 on the CMS scale. Level 2 or above unlocks the subsidy. This means your parent must be assessed in Taiwan, in person, you cannot complete this from abroad, though a sibling, neighbor, or the hospital discharge planner can host the visit.

How to apply

1. Call the 1966 hotline from a Taiwan number (any family member can call on the patient's behalf), or ask the hospital's discharge-planning unit to refer the case before your parent leaves the hospital.
2. A care manager visits and assesses the CMS level.
3. A case manager builds a care plan, the budget is approved, and services begin with a co-payment.

How much money it is, and what it buys

The monthly care-services budget runs from NT$10,020 at level 2 to NT$36,180 at level 8. Most families pay a 16% co-payment; low-to-middle-income households pay 5%, and low-income households pay nothing. On top of that there is a separate respite budget, NT$32,340 per year for levels 2 to 6, NT$48,510 for levels 7 to 8, plus equipment subsidies and, for those in residential facilities, a separate scheme of up to NT$120,000 per year.

Now the part that disappoints people if nobody warns them.The budget is drawn down against itemized services with fixed prices, a bathing assist is NT$325, meal care NT$310, basic hygiene NT$260. A typical visit of 1.5 to 2 hours costs close to NT$900. Even spending the entire level-8 budget of NT$36,180 buys roughly one two-hour home visit per day, with about NT$5,800 a month out of pocket for a standard household. That is genuinely helpful, and nowhere near 24-hour coverage.

The gaps, plainly

The subsidy cannot be converted into a live-in caregiver. It does not cover medical procedures, suctioning, feeding tubes, wound care are nursing acts that care attendants may not legally perform, and private licensed nurses are not reimbursed at all. And in Taipei and other cities there are real waiting lists, an approved budget does not guarantee an available worker for the time slots you want. Most families end up layering several of these, which leads to the setup we most often recommend.

The smartest setup, a 24-hour live-in caregiver plus a day-shift nurse

For a bedridden or tube-dependent parent, the most cost-effective and safest arrangement is usually not choosing between a foreign caregiver and a nurse, it is layering them. A 24-hour live-in foreign caregiver (family-paid, roughly NT$23,500 a month plus room, board and fees; and under Long-Term Care 3.0 these households can now also use government respite and day care) covers continuous daily living, feeding, bathing, repositioning, company, and simply being there at 3 a.m. But there is one layer the law keeps out of a caregiver's hands, suctioning, feeding-tube care, wound dressing, medication, and judging a change in condition.

That layer is exactly what a 12-hour day-shiftlicensed nurseadds on top. Daytime is when treatments, dressing changes, follow-up calls, and most clinical decisions happen, so the nurse manages the medical care, watches for complications, and trains and supervises the caregiver. The math works, a foreign caregiver (about NT$23,500 a month, room and board on top) plus an Alma day shift (NT$6,000 a day) buys both round-the-clock presence and licensed medical competence, far safer than a caregiver alone, and far cheaper than two nurses covering 24 hours (about NT$378,000 a month). Run the nurse daily through a recovery or high-need period, then scale back to a few days a week for the medical tasks once things settle.

However you assemble the pieces, here is how we fit in. We sendlicensed registered nursesto the home or hospital bedside, day shift NT$6,000, night NT$6,60024 hours NT$12,600no agency fees, serving Taipei, New Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung. To be clear, Alma is private and not covered by the government subsidy. Many overseas children use the subsidy for daily attendant visits and book us for the medical or overnight portions. Reach us on LINE @205tyguj or hello@caredbyalma.com, we reply in English.

FAQ

Can I apply for my parent from overseas?

You can start the process, anyone can call 1966 on the patient's behalf, and the hospital can refer a case at discharge. But the assessment itself happens in person in Taiwan, so someone local needs to be present for the home visit.

Does the subsidy pay for a 24-hour or live-in caregiver?

No. It funds hours of attendant visits, at the highest level, roughly two hours a day. Live-in foreign caregivers and private nurses are hired and paid separately by the family.

My parents already employ a foreign live-in caregiver. Is the subsidy still useful?

Yes. Families with a foreign caregiver can use respite services whenever the caregiver takes leave (level 2 and above), and under Long-Term Care 3.0 they can also access day care and other services. Ask the care manager during assessment.

Is any of this paid as cash to the family?

Generally no. The government pays providers directly and the family pays only the co-payment. Figures change with policy updates, so treat 1966 and the city long-term care center as the final word on current amounts.

Is a foreign caregiver plus a day-shift nurse a good combination?

For many bedridden or tube-dependent families it is the most practical setup. The live-in caregiver covers 24-hour daily living (around NT$23,500 a month, family-paid, plus room and board), while a day-shift special nurse adds the medical care and clinical judgment a caregiver may not legally provide. You get both round-the-clock presence and medical safety, for far less than two nurses around the clock.

Does the government help pay for a caregiver in Taiwan?

Yes, but it depends. The government's Long-Term Care 2.0 programme (the 1966 hotline) offers subsidies such as home services and respite care for eligible disabled elders, paying different amounts by disability level and household income, with most people covering part of the cost themselves. Note that this subsidy mainly covers care attendants and does not include the private caregivers or nurses you'd hire on the open market. It's best to call 1966 first to assess eligibility.

How do I apply for long-term care subsidies in Taiwan?

You start by calling the 1966 long-term care hotline. A care manager arranges a home visit to assess your elder's level of disability, then approves a service allowance for home care, respite, assistive devices, and more by level, with contracted providers delivering the service. The process itself is free, but the actual services usually require a partial co-payment based on household income. One reminder, long-term care subsidies are government-funded resources, a different option from private home nursing like Alma's.

Is there any subsidy if I need to hire someone to watch my dad in the hospital?

As a rule, government long-term care subsidies don't pay for a private caregiver during a hospital stay; Long-Term Care 2.0 is mainly for home care after discharge. If your dad needs medical-level bedside care in hospital, such as suctioning or nasogastric tube care, that usually means privately hiring a special nurse. Alma provides licensed nurses at the hospital or at home, with no agency fees; message us on LINE @205tyguj to talk through what you need.

What is the 1966 long-term care hotline and is it useful?

Yes, 1966 is genuinely useful, it's the free hotline for the government's Long-Term Care 2.0 programme, and through it you can apply for home care, respite services, transport, and assistive-device subsidies for a disabled elder. For eligible families it really does ease the burden, so it's worth calling to be assessed first. That said, its support centres on care attendants, so if your family member needs nurse-level medical care, you'll still need a separate private nursing service.

How much is the monthly caregiver subsidy in Taiwan?

There's no fixed monthly figure. Long-Term Care 2.0 approves a monthly allowance for care and professional services based on the elder's disability level (levels 2 to 8); the higher the level, the larger the allowance, then split into fully subsidised or partial co-payment by household income. The exact amount is only known after a 1966 care manager's assessment. Note that this allowance usually can't cover the cost of round-the-clock private caregivers or nurses.

What's the difference between government long-term care subsidies and hiring a private nurse?

Government Long-Term Care 2.0 is publicly funded, a care manager approves the allowance and contracted providers send care attendants. It's low-cost but the hours are limited, scheduling is less flexible, and attendants can't perform medical procedures. A private home nurse is hired at your own cost, flexible on hours, and can legally do suctioning, nasogastric tube care, wound dressing changes, and more. The two can be used together. Alma is a private nursing service, outside the subsidy, but it fills the medical-care gap that long-term care can't reach.